It’s hard to remember a time when things have seemed more divided. The perspectives of good friends, peers and some even family members are being challenged almost on a daily basis. Sadly, some have even resulted into separation of company due to serious disagreement.
At times it seems nearly impossible at times to have an honest disagreement with some people. We all can be very passionate about our beliefs. I have been working with teams who have had these types of conflicts to help minimize potential damage to relationships.
So how do we navigate this stuff without going crazy?
The picture above was shown at a recent off-site. Participants were asked, “how many logs to you see?” Some said three. Others said four. Then somebody said, “it depends on how you look at. If I look at it from the left, I see four. But when I look at it from the right, I see three! So, it depends on your point of view.” Bravo!
As spouses, mates, customers, colleagues, leaders, subordinates, and peers, we have the opportunity to choose a different perspective. This does not mean that we must agree with it, or even like it. It does mean we can choose to be invested in the relationship enough to understand.
Appreciating another perspective doesn’t always come easy or without training.
Take a look at the picture below. There is an image of a young woman and an older woman. Do you see them both? Did you see one immediately, but had to work at it to see the other?
Still
not seeing both, lol, welcome to reality!
Hint: The young woman’s face is looking away, ie the nose and the chin (I saw this first). But I had to work at it to see the older woman’s face, ie the young woman’s ear is the eye and the neck decoration the older woman’s mouth. (I was actually getting irritated this wasn’t obvious)
So, let’s not just react to seeing part of the picture, seeking to understand the whole picture.
Let’s
get more invested in the important relationships by which we work with and
through by
a) choosing to seek out the other perspective and b) be willing to work
at seeing if needed.
How did you do…?
